Lewis Capaldi Returns To Social Media With Personal Update, Deluxe Album

Lewis Capaldi has returned to social media for the first time since June 2023 – when he told fans he’d be taking a break from the spotlight to focus on his physical and mental health – sharing a personal update alongside a deluxe reissue of his album Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent.

In the post that Capaldi shared on New Year’s Eve, he affirmed to fans that his break has been “going great”, noting that he’s “been working with some incredible professionals to help me learn about and cope better with my Tourette’s and anxiety issues”. He added: “I'm really happy to say I've noticed a marked improvement in both since I decided to take some time off back in June.”

Addressing the aftermath of his unexpected hiatus (which came at a time when Capaldi had a full year of touring on the cards), the artist continued: “I was completely overwhelmed by the reaction to the news that I was taking a break and genuinely want to thank each and every one of you who reached out, left a comment, tweet or DM wishing me well, the support was like nothing I've ever experienced and has made me more excited than ever to return to doing what I love at some point in the not too distant future.”

Though he didn’t specify when that would be, Capaldi threw diehard followers a bone with the announcement of his Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent reissue. Firstly sharing his appreciation for the original album’s success, Capaldi wrote: “This album was a scary one for me – if you saw the film I made on Netflix you probably know this already: But I was absolutely terrified of disappointing you all, afraid of not living up to expectations and in all honesty scared that the whole thing would be a complete flop. But thanks to all of you, it wasn't.

“It's mind blowing to see the songs on this album still resonating with so many of you despite the fact I've not been out there promoting it or touring, it means the world to me. Which brings me to the reason for this big bastard of a letter I'm writing...”

Properly detailing the expanded LP, he continued: “Prior to my decision to fuck off for a bit, I'd always hoped to release an extended version at some point! After some back-and-forth about whether or not it was the right thing to do, I've decided it would be a shame for these extra five songs, which are so incredibly special to me, to sit on my hard drive, never to see the light of day.”

The deluxe edition of Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent was released at midnight yesterday (January 1) and features five new songs: Strangers, A Cure For Minds Unwell, Someone I Could Die For, The Ancient Art Of Always Fucking Up and Old Navy Blue. It also includes the previously released orchestral versions of How I’m Feeling Now and Burning, for a total of 19 songs across 68 minutes.

As for his immediate plans, Capaldi explained in his statement: “For now I'm going to continue taking some time to carry on looking after myself, maybe writing some music and taking a moment to reflect on some of the most incredible years of my life I want to make absolutely sure I'm 100 [percent] before getting back out there again properly for more shows and doing what I love more than anything.”

“These songs mean the world to me,” he said in closing, “and I'd be gutted if I'd not been able to share them. Hope this tides you all over until we can get in a room and sing them together some day very soon!”

You can listen to the deluxe edition of Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent here, and read Capaldi’s full statement below.

a wee update, happy new year x pic.twitter.com/w0MzXgtTtX

— Lewis Capaldi (@LewisCapaldi) December 31, 2023